The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-08-03
MARY JAMES TRAVELS.
OlCKEY AND SHE PAY a VISIT
TO The CITY OF FLORENCE.
They Have Trouble with Their faiir"ah
Ticket Because Of the Italian Spelling
Of the City's Name. which il firenre.
Their Joint Observations.
Special Correspondence

:
I elm experience, and only Teak English. !
! think We are doing first rate. We have
never uliss.-l a connection, never been late
/ for a train never got into the wrong station,
/ town or hotel. and haven't had an accident
| or DELAY don't say this boastingly, but
merely 20 show ihoss who told ~ women
coulln't travel alone that women can DO "a
r,.sl many things il they are only given the
opportunity.
/ presume everybody who goes 70 Florence
| lsslich ia Italian j. Flrenze. and which came
near getting NE into trouble at The station
/ i..cau-- / was going O. Florence and not
/ F rerze, as the ticket callel f0U climbs the
! famous gingerbread campanile by the side II
the Cathedral u s.. gingerbread the star
architectural attraction Il Florence. ! did,
aud found that the roofs = tho VII pre-
sentei a symphony in brown, which, though
common in tilel roof Italy, reached IT, highest
Development here The whole place seemed
D. have had brown tarpaulin spread over
il. with the elges peggei down t. the green
II the fields ieyond. and We got about as
much idea u the plan u the city as II Vs. had
gone down cellar instead # up b. the garrett.
One ~ the most tiresome things 10 look at in
Italy j. the tiirl root There isn't any other
kind iecauss there isn't timber enough 81
the country - make shingles, and tin or slate
is rather too modern.
Our boy is still with Us and & stiil making
remarks An American ~ the party is IN
constant state q surprise al finding people in
Italy who speak English, and De invariably
compliments the speaker with~Ab. yOI speak
very cool English Coming here some
English people came into our compartment,
and our American was soon talking % them.
I was over in the corner trying - hold the
boy down.
See, on to lis nits," said he, in a hoarse
whisper
@Sh-sh,r said l. shaking him; act the man
talk n be- wants b..
~Of courSs will said be- sYou might as
well try o. dam up the waters II the Nile
with hulrushes and 50 forth. but III bet four
teen dollars and seventy,dye cents that the
next thing be SAYS will be, All, you speak
very COOL English
But he didn't, and 1t had such an effect on
The boy that he kept perfectly quiet for half
an hour
>
artist, for be bal made mOsaics FOR several
years but he didn't know the intTicacies u
our language He was showing Us tue tomb
of the Melici-, That wonderful work IN
precious anl Lard stones, and was quito lie
sir0us that we be- impressed with the fact that
the polished surfaces ~ stone, rejecting the
frcscOes Of the dome Us IN a minor, were not
marble but bard stone, which would turn the
edge u any ordinary chiseL Every time
either II Us would inadvertently say marble
tho guide would exclaim. Not marble, Not
marble, 1t l. not marble, but hard and
preciou. stOMer Just before leaving the place
We put our faces close down 10 tho shining
surface ~ the dado and looked far into is
depths, a, into the depths u clear water.
at is marvellous, said Dic.ey, raptur0usly.
"No, no. said the guide with an unex-
pecteiuess that startled US, at Is not marble,
it is hard and precious stone'
Dickey was in earnest, and 50 was the guide,
and be tired % explain b him the nature 81
her emotion a. expressed by marvellous but
he couidu't comprehend and She gave 10 up.
By the way, the guide toll as that tAi.
Medici, tomb, monument, chapel, or whatever
The figures are slightly elevated ~ 10 speak,
but you don't have b believe guide unless
you want TO-
Florence is headquarters for art FOR the
whole world, and the Uhizi-Pitu gallery g
painting, aud statuary is not measured 10y
feet but miles, and after extending along
street or two in Florence il crosses the riyer
and takes 90 considerable territory on the
other side About "a mile and tAree-quarter.
ii these paintings arc old portraits, and ARE
not worth the canvas they are painted Oh, but
they are kept on the walls and have % b.
looked at along with the others and Tayed
orvr by lovers Of old masters and other an
tiquiiha
Florence Is quite a pretty town, aud one
feels hko calling IL sweet place. It.
suburbs bring their green shades clooe b the
city. and the smell Of the trees and the flowers
almost neutraliz-s the usual bad olors preya-
lent IN an Italian town.
Until We reached Florence the rule Of con
aructi0u in Italian churches appeared % b.
to put ali the ornnmentati0n on the inside,
and cover 10 In with walls and root whose
chief iuellt was durability and ugliness; but
ih Florence tie order Is changed, aud the ca
thedlal is IA building as gasdy in It's exterior
MS 10 is the reverse within. It's front, built ~
white and colored marbles, AMI trimmed
with statues and yOluted columns and other
architectural passemeuterie like the front =
"a skirt. i, Just finished, after several hundred
years II waiting, and it Is real pretty, but
somehow 1t lacks dignity. IL looked 20 me "a
good deal like Methodist preacher In yO-
cife>1us plaid suit aud still | couldn't help
but admire IT, The campanile, or bell tower,
al Joining, which is sort 81 long handle 10
the cathedral, is the result Of an order %
construct the most graceful and beautiful
tower in the world don't know whether il
is or not, but climbed 70 the top Of it.
They had "a big celebration in the cathedral
the day We visited IT, a-d the place was fun
An orchestra and choir Of he singers occu-
pied one portion Of the transept. The bishops,
priests and assistants held The center with the
usual religious services, while the crowd
promeDaded around, talking and laughing,
pretty much as it would through the lobby Of
a theatre between the acts.
can't say that it was an undressing
church service but il was, % say The least,
slightly different from what we bad been
accustomed 10 at bCme.
As We left the cathedral we saw what
everybody sees IN every Italian tOwli--nline
Is, two or three men sound asleep IN the sun.
"Wen,n said Dickey, IA tone q disgust,
''it seems % Ire these people don't DO any